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    Help with 8 switch in a ring topology

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    • johnpozJ
      johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator @bennyc
      last edited by

      If cost is an issue for runs - how about runs to say every other or 3 or even 4th floor and then daisy the floors between. Making sure your uplink to the core and between switches is enough to carry the aggregate bandwidth from the daisy switches.

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      • B
        bennyc @johnpoz
        last edited by

        @johnpoz
        Well that would depend on the possibility of cabling and budget to buy new stuff. I wouldn't create a star without having a stack as central point (core) as to make sure there is a redundant path in case of failure (one always has a L2 alternative path in a ring topology, even without aggregated links).
        I've also seen some really weird implementations of 802.3ad in chinese switches. That can be a challenge as well (and certainly in a mixed brand env), so "keep it simple" pays off now and then.
        But all these are assumptions, side talks about an improved design with extra investments (HW/cabling), and might not help @kiokoman with his current challenge...

        4x XG-7100 (2xHA), 1x SG-4860, 1x SG-2100
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        • johnpozJ
          johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator @bennyc
          last edited by johnpoz

          He doesn't need any more help

          As he has stated

          i will configure it and wait until they complain for performance and then i can say "i told you" ...

          Doesn't mean can't still comment on the stupidity of such a configuration ;) hehehe

          It can work - and depending on the number of clients at each floor, and what they actually do.. It might be fine.. Doesn't mean its still not stupid way to do it..

          An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools
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          • B
            bennyc @johnpoz
            last edited by

            @johnpoz
            True... ☺

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            • johnpozJ
              johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator
              last edited by

              I can't quite make out all the text.. But looks like each floor has 1 vlan? Maybe 2, but the 3rd octet clearly is changing per floor..

              I can not quite make out what say 172.16.100.100 ÷ squiggle something ;)

              Is that suppose to be say 111?

              I have to assume these switches or stacked - or also daisyed? This isn't one big flat L2 is it?

              I have to assume there is a router on the bottom floor routing between the vlans? Sure hope devices on different floors don't intend to be moving a lot of data between each other ;)

              Any more details you could share @kiokoman should quiet the curiosity cat that is meowing at me ;)

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              • kiokomanK
                kiokoman LAYER 8 @johnpoz
                last edited by kiokoman

                @johnpoz
                I still have to do an inspection so I have no idea what I'll find myself, they mentioned it on the phone and sent that screenshot on whatsapp, so I asked you for advice. i hope the situation is not totally borked... i'll let you know as soon as i have more intel on this
                100:111 maybe dhcp pool? idk ...
                if it turns out to be a single large L2 without vlans you see me rotfl down all fifteen floors

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                • bingo600B
                  bingo600
                  last edited by bingo600

                  The bottom switch is a SPOF , killing all other floors.
                  I'd prob insist on two switches there , or a stack.

                  @johnpoz
                  https://www.directindustry.com/prod/womaster/product-192288-2250083.html
                  Seems like SFP/Uplink ports are 1G only.

                  @kiokoman
                  Are you uplinking via Fiber or copper ?

                  /Bingo

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                  • kiokomanK
                    kiokoman LAYER 8 @bingo600
                    last edited by

                    @bingo600
                    they ask for fiber

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                    • bingo600B
                      bingo600 @kiokoman
                      last edited by bingo600

                      @kiokoman
                      Do they just have 1 fiber between floors , or are they in "Saving mode"
                      Actually they prob. have two fibers between floors.

                      One path is bridged on every floor , making the long T <--> 15 fiber path.
                      The other is the "inter floor connection" you have on the drawing.

                      /Bingo

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                      • kiokomanK
                        kiokoman LAYER 8 @bingo600
                        last edited by kiokoman

                        ok i have more intel..
                        there are no pc, it's a network specifically for 168 IOT devices that can only do 10/100, distributed in 16 floors
                        it's one big flat L2
                        the assigned ips are there to better understand where the device are
                        so 172.16.104 is floor 4 - .100 should be east wing .200 west wing
                        172.16.112 is floor 12 and so on
                        iot device are there to measure pression and movement of the building (earthquake)
                        they send data to a server with a monitoring program and a mysql database
                        they send data only if there are something to report
                        the client specifically requested this ring configuration (an hospital) there is no way to change it

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                        • bingo600B
                          bingo600 @kiokoman
                          last edited by bingo600

                          @kiokoman
                          If it's a low volume IOT setup , then i see no issue in doing what you have described.

                          Not best practice from a performance wise point.
                          But how much data will they push to the server ...

                          RSTP would be preferred , but you would prob survive the 50 sec STP delay , as it's only on a switch uplink topology change it would be active.

                          As previously mentioned i'd prob. force the bottom switch to be STP Root.

                          Are you sure they will continue to use it as a flat L2 (single vlan) ?.
                          These IOT/HVAC nets have a nasty habit of being (mis)Used for other things at a later point.

                          What i mean ... Should you Vlan enable the setup already on install.
                          And maybe just make 1 or 2 vlans for starters, and assign all edge/client ports to the IOT VLAN for now.

                          That way they can (mis)Use it for some other low volume stuff at a later time, wo. major downtime.

                          Just a suggestion:
                          I'm not sure if this goes for RSTP too , but in the old days ... :

                          I'd suggest you test a few DHCP clients (if DHCP is used for IOT) , by disconnecting the RJ45 , and reconnect it , or power off/on the device.
                          We have (in the old days) all been bitten by not setting "spanning tree portfast" , on an edge port. And have the STP delay take longer than the "Windows" DHCP timeout , giving DHCP timeout issues at times.

                          I think it (portfast on cisco) might be called spanning tree edge on some switches.

                          /Bingo

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                          • johnpozJ
                            johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator @kiokoman
                            last edited by johnpoz

                            @kiokoman said in Help with 8 switch in a ring topology:

                            they send data only if there are something to report

                            I would hope they send some sort of keep alive at some sort of interval even if its every 24 hours or something.. To just say - nothing to report..

                            If not what if something goes off line - and then there is some sort of event, and you miss the data because device has been offline for 3 weeks..

                            But that sure seems like low amount of data.. So yeah shouldn't be an issue..

                            edit: Ok still missing a piece of the drawing there, assumed those were stacked switches. But there is nothing actually showing connections so while the 1st floor listed and top have a connection to the bottom switch.. Those other switches are not actually showing a connection on how they could talk to the bottom switch.

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                            • bingo600B
                              bingo600 @johnpoz
                              last edited by bingo600

                              @johnpoz

                              I read the drawing as each floor (switch / stack) having a fiber comming from "top" , and another going to the one "below".

                              So each switch have 2 fiber connections , that would make a single floor failure survivable , except lowest (SPOF) , that feeds both paths.

                              Edit :
                              I read the 2 "boxes" on each floor , as representing the fiber interfaces in same switch/stack. Not 2 separate switches.
                              Else that drawing makes no sense.

                              /Bingo

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                              • johnpozJ
                                johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator @bingo600
                                last edited by johnpoz

                                @bingo600 said in Help with 8 switch in a ring topology:

                                I read the 2 "boxes" on each floor , as representing the fiber interfaces in same switch/stack

                                Well that makes much more sense ;) heheheh

                                I was thinking the same thing until mentioned east and west.. So I was thinking they were 2 switches one on each side of the floor ;)

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                                • bingo600B
                                  bingo600 @johnpoz
                                  last edited by bingo600

                                  @johnpoz said in Help with 8 switch in a ring topology:

                                  I was thinking the same thing until he mentioned east ans west.. So I was thinking they were 2 switches on on each side of the floor ;)

                                  That would leave some (most) IOT units "speachless" 😊

                                  But now that you mention east/west ... 100/200.
                                  I hope not ..... Unless he's linking east/west via copper , and this is just showing the fiber patch.

                                  /Bingo

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                                  • johnpozJ
                                    johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator @bingo600
                                    last edited by

                                    Exactly - which was like what... So yeah if connections off the same switch on each floor then yeah makes sense and you have 2 paths in case of problem with 1 of the switches..

                                    With very low bandwidth requirements - nothing wrong with doing it that way I guess. I would still have runs to each switch (if possible)..

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                                    • bingo600B
                                      bingo600 @johnpoz
                                      last edited by bingo600

                                      @johnpoz said in Help with 8 switch in a ring topology:

                                      I guess. I would still have runs to each switch (if possible)..

                                      They prob haven't got the fibers for it.
                                      This is prob. an addon , and most fibers are reserved/used for other stuff.

                                      See my edit in the post above ...
                                      You made me doubt now ...

                                      /Bingo

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                                      • kiokomanK
                                        kiokoman LAYER 8 @bingo600
                                        last edited by

                                        there is 1 switch on every floor. port 25 go to the switch below, port 27 go to the switch on the upper floor.

                                        .100 ----copper ---> switch <---copper------ .200 port 25/27 up/down fiber
                                        i will add a second switch to the SPOF

                                        they are preparing all the switch in a lab to take the test and the first configuration

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                                        • bingo600B
                                          bingo600 @kiokoman
                                          last edited by

                                          @kiokoman
                                          So everything will reside in the 172.16.x.x/16 range , including switch mgmt ?

                                          All in a single "default vlan" ?

                                          /Bingo

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                                          • bingo600B
                                            bingo600 @kiokoman
                                            last edited by bingo600

                                            @kiokoman

                                            Is this a "floor layout" ?

                                            kioko.png

                                            /Bingo

                                            Made with the Free drawing tool - Dia - http://dia-installer.de/
                                            Quite intuitive , I installed dia + dia-shapes
                                            kioko.dia.zip

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